Geno Smith vs. Myles Garrett
For lack of better words, Myles Garrett is an effing problem.
He's been a problem since entering the NFL in 2017.
The 2023 Defensive Player of the Year is the first man in NFL history to record 12-plus sacks in six consecutive seasons, and his 15 sacks currently lead the league. Lately, he's looked unstoppably against offensive lines, having recorded 10 of his 15 sacks within his last three games. He's getting the job done stopping the run as well as he leads the league in tackles for loss (22).
According to Next Gen Stats, Garrett also leads the league in pressure-to-sack rate (35.7 percent), his highest mark since 2018 and highest among edge rushers this season (min. 200 pass rushes).
"He has it all," Geno Smith said about Garrett. "He's obviously a physical specimen. Big dude that can run fast, but he has all the moves. He's got speed, he's got power, and he's very disruptive. You can see it. He's had a really hot past three weeks, and we got to cool him down."
As for keeping Garrett away from Smith, it won't be for the faint of heart. With the Raiders offensive line still reconfiguring after losing Kolton Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson, Smith has been sacked 10 times in the last two games. The Raiders quarterback is expecting his line to improve with continued practice, but he acknowledged there's more he can also do to avoid pressure.
"[A] big part is getting the ball out and hitting my back foot, getting that ball out fast so they don't have a chance to work their moves," Smith said. "And that's something that we'll build into, try to build into the game plan, but the main thing is that we execute. We've got to block them. There's no way around it. You've got to block the guy, and I've got to get the ball out so I can help those guys."